Confidentiality and Ethics
Confidentiality and ethical integrity are central to Insights in Biology and Medicine (IBM). All participants in the editorial process — authors, editors, reviewers, and office staff — are obligated to safeguard sensitive information, respect privacy, and uphold professional conduct. This policy defines expectations for confidentiality and ethical standards across the manuscript lifecycle.
1) Confidentiality Scope
- All manuscripts under review are confidential; details must not be shared beyond authorized participants.
- Editors and reviewers must not use unpublished findings for personal advantage.
- Communications, reviewer identities, and decision rationales must remain internal to the editorial system.
- Personal data and author information must be protected under relevant data protection laws (e.g., GDPR).
2) Responsibilities by Role
Authors
- Ensure accurate and honest reporting of data.
- Provide consent for identifiable information and protect participant privacy.
- Disclose funding, conflicts of interest, and data/code availability.
Editors
- Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts, reviewer identities, and decisions.
- Recuse from handling manuscripts with conflicts of interest.
- Base decisions on merit, rigor, and ethical compliance, not external pressures.
Reviewers
- Treat manuscripts as confidential documents; do not share or discuss outside the review process.
- Avoid using data or ideas for personal research before publication.
- Flag ethical concerns (plagiarism, duplicate publication, consent issues) promptly to editors.
Editorial Office
- Securely store submissions, decisions, and metadata.
- Ensure audit trails for all editorial actions and communications.
- Train staff on confidentiality and ethical handling of manuscripts.
3) Ethical Standards
- Human research: Require IRB/REC approval, informed consent, and appropriate anonymization.
- Animal research: Confirm IACUC/REC approval, humane endpoints, and welfare measures.
- Publication ethics: Uphold originality, transparency, and avoidance of duplicate submission/publication.
- Corrections: Promptly issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when integrity is compromised.
4) Sensitive and Dual-Use Research
- Assess manuscripts for dual-use research of concern (DURC) and biosecurity risks.
- Escalate sensitive cases to the Editor-in-Chief and ethics committee for review.
- May require redaction or controlled access to certain methods or data.
5) Appeals, Complaints & Misconduct
- Confidential handling of all appeals and complaints; maintain audit logs.
- Escalate misconduct allegations to the EiC; if necessary, contact institutions/funders.
- Communicate neutrally, factually, and promptly with all parties involved.
6) Use of AI Tools
- AI tools must not compromise confidentiality; manuscripts must not be uploaded to external systems without agreements.
- AI can assist in language checks or formatting but cannot replace human ethical oversight.
- Editors remain accountable for any use of AI in editorial processes.
7) Confidentiality & Ethics Checklists
Pre-Review Checklist
- ???? Manuscript anonymized for double-blind review
- ???? Plagiarism/similarity check completed
- ???? Ethics approvals/consents documented
- ???? Reviewer shortlist screened for COIs
- ???? Confidentiality statement sent to reviewers
Pre-Acceptance Checklist
- ???? All revisions verified and ethical concerns addressed
- ???? Data/code repository links validated
- ???? Third-party permissions secured
- ???? COI and funding disclosures complete
- ???? Final confidentiality maintained
Plain-language note: Everyone handling manuscripts must keep them confidential, respect participants and data, disclose conflicts, and help correct the record when problems are found.